The fintech world is evolving every day. Therefore, it’s essential for industry professionals to stay up-to-date on innovation and technology, and the resulting digital disruption.
The transformative nature of the industry lends itself to some very compelling reads. We’ve pulled together a list of what we think makes for essential reading for when you’re looking to learn more:
Blockchain Technology:
Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies Is Changing the World – Don Tapscott and Alex Tapscott (Updated 2018)
Don Tapscott, the bestselling author of Wikinomics, and his son, blockchain expert Alex Tapscott have penned an intricately researched book about the technology that drives cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and forms the blueprint of digital payments and transactions in our economy. The Tapscotts address the fundamentals of the technology, and the opportunities and challenges it raises. Originally released in 2016, this updated version adds in material on cryptoassets, ICOs, and more.
Inclusive Fintech: Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Ico – David Kuo Chuen Lee and Linda Low (2018)
With a specific focus on the Fintech scene in Asia, this book works on dispelling misconceptions about blockchain and cryptocurrencies. The authors have been deeply involved in the fintech industry as founders, Economic advisors and professors, and their extensive knowledge provides a meaningful argument for the importance of having a social agenda in building a sustainable business today.
Virtual Banking:
The Power of Mobile Banking: How to Profit from the Revolution in Retail Financial Services – Sankar Krishnan (2014)
Written by noted financial services industry thought leader and career banker Sankar Krishnan, the book explores how mobile banking is crucial for traditional retail banks to remain relevant among their customers. Targeted towards industry professionals and leaders looking to develop and adapt new solutions that cater to today’s digital-first consumers, The Power of Mobile Banking does a great job of defining the practical implications and benefits of building a mobile-banking strategy.
Bank 4.0: Banking Everywhere, Never at a Bank – Brett King (2018)
Acclaimed author Brett King’s sharp observations, notes and predictions about digital banking in Bank 4.0 bring to the forefront the rapidly changing nature of the banking industry. King delves into detail about how virtual banking is not just the present, but also what we must look forward into the future – and how the services provided by banks will have to adapt in order to survive in this digital age.
Fintech Guides:
A Global Guide to FinTech and Future Payment Trends – Peter Goldfinch (2018)
Written by payments specialist Peter Goldfinch, this book is a comprehensive overview of payments – both digital and otherwise – while offering projections about the future of the fintech industry. Charting the evolution of payments from paper instruments to digital payments, the decline in the use of plastic credit, and more, this book is essential reading for beginners and professionals alike in the fintech industry. This book captures a holistic perspective of the developing fintech scene with insights into current trends and developments in the banking industry, and a focus on payments and how they shape economies.
Fintech: The New DNA of Financial Services – Pranay Gupta and T. Mandy Tham (2018)
This book provides a detailed introduction into the various areas of fintech and its associated terminology, such as A.I., Big Data, Robo-advisory, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and many more. An easy-to-read and accessible work, it focuses on explaining the concepts and practices in the fintech revolution in a way that is understood even without a strong foundation in the subject.
A Quick & Dirty Guide to Fintech – Ishtiaque Hossain (2018)
Aimed at both investors and beginners in the fintech world, this work is a compilation of five insightful articles built on insights from Malaysia’s fintech leaders. A quick and accessible read, it focuses on guiding beginners and investors in five key issues in the industry: Disruptive Innovations, Blockchain, AI Use Cases in Financial Industry, Chatbots and Digital Customer On-boarding.
Digital Banking and the Future:
The End of Banking: Money, Credit, and the Digital Revolution – Jonathan McMillan (2014)
With the financial crisis of 2007-08 in prime focus, the book notes all the flaws in the current banking system that led to its collapse. Jonathan McMillan dissects the industry and identifies the root causes of key problems in the banking industry, while also providing an innovative blueprint for a modern financial system. With a lucid and accessible section on shadow banking, the book also elaborates on a new and innovative way for the financial world to adapt to digital disruption.
Bye Bye Banks?: How Retail Banks are Being Displaced, Diminished and Disintermediated by Tech Startups and What They Can Do to Survive – James Haycock and Shane Richmond (2015)
After extensive research and gaining insights from senior executives in some of the biggest banks, this book chronicles the way technology is changing the way the banking industry functions. Particularly of note is their work on how start-ups are laying siege to traditional banking giants and their recommendation that traditional banks should invent themselves as a ‘Beta Bank’ – a lean, stand-alone organisation fit for the future – for which they provide a ten-point operating model.
Emotional Banking: Fixing Culture, Leveraging FinTech, and Transforming Retail Banks into Brands – Duena Blomstrom (2018)
In this book, Duena Blomstrom, the creator of Emotional Banking, brings the customer, their satisfaction, and needs to the forefront, and highlights how traditional banks need to adapt their current services and ideology. A cultural change in the way banking is both perceived and conceptualized, she also shares best practices and a hands-on approach on how to create a brand and develop a bank that customers fall in love with.
Penser is a specialist consulting firm focused on the fintech industry with clients ranging from private equity funds and their portfolio companies to global financial institutions. Our services include strategic planning, digital transformation, and due diligence. Find out more here.